Foul Play
by Reading Redhead
Summary: COMPLETE Alice Elliot hasn't had problems making moral decisions before, but when she does something rash to gain points for her House, the consequences will be more than she expects. Will Alice tell the truth, even when she could get away with a lie?
1. Part 1: The Game

Disclaimer:  I suppose that I should mention that I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, house names, settings, et cetera, which is probably a good thing since I wouldn't know what to do with them if I did.  But I do own my imagination and the products of it, and I make use of those freely in this story. 

A/N:  This will eventually be a three-part story.  I've written the outline of the whole thing, so I know what's going to happen, but I still need to look over a few sections and make sure they're how I want them to be.

And yes, the story contains primarily original characters.  The idea originally came to me as a dream, and that's how the dream was, so that's how the story is.  I'm positive that there are no Mary Sues; if you think otherwise, please review, but have some good reasons to back up your accusations.

Foul Play

_Part 1: The Game_

            "All right, team, listen up," said Scott as he paced up and down in front of the bench in the locker room where the Gryffindor Quidditch team sat awaiting his instruction.  "We've got a hard game ahead of us, as you all know.  Ravenclaw is a tough team, and they'll play even better than normal since this match pretty much determines the outcomes of both the Quidditch and House Cups."

            Alice sat listening on the bench.  Next to her sat Ann, her best friend and the team's keeper.  She nervously twirled a strand of hair around her finger, listening to Scott.  On Alice's other side sat Melissa, Rachel, and Kristalyn, the three Chasers. 

            "Now," said Scott, continuing, "if we've ever needed a quick capture of the snitch, it's this game.  We don't want to give Ravenclaw enough time to score more goals than we can make up for by catching the snitch.  Not that I think you aren't an excellent Keeper," he said to Ann, "but they beat Slytherin that way, and I don't want to see us make the same mistake.

            "Also, as you may or may not know, Felicity couldn't be here because of an accident that occurred in her Transfiguration class."  Alice saw Rachel wince beside her, and knew why.  Rachel was in Felicity's class, and had described the unfortunate incident to her in great detail.  Apparently their class had been practicing turning beetles into buttons, and one of the Slytherins in the class had thought it would be funny to try the same on Felicity.  She was still in the Hospital Wing.

            "So let me introduce to you our reserve Beater, Justin."  At this, the boy sitting at the end of the bench stood up.  He appeared to be in his fourth year, had a dark complexion, and was heavily built.  Alice was always a bit surprised that he had not made beater instead of Felicity, but then, she reflected, Felicity's small size added to her agility, and to her ability to closely pursue bludgers.  And Felicity was also a nicer person to be around, Alice thought, but that wasn't an objective observation.

            "The only thing I've got left to say," Scott continued, "is for us to go out there and give 'em the best game Hogwarts has seen since Harry Potter himself played here!"  There was a spate of cheering at this speech, and all of the members of the team grabbed their brooms and fell into line behind their captain.  Alice picked up her Nimbus in one gauntleted hand and followed the team out onto the field.

            The team emerged to loud cheering and bright sunshine.  They took their places loosely around the center circle, just as the Ravenclaw team came out, resplendent in robes of royal blue.    

            "Captains, shake hands!" announced Madam Hooch, and Scott stepped forward.  Once the formalities were over with, Madam Hooch gave the command for the teams to mount their brooms.  As they hovered in the air above the circle, Madam Hooch let out a shrill blast on her whistle, kicked open the crate of balls, and soared into the air.  The game had begun.

            Alice caught a glimpse of the snitch before it darted away.  She flew in lazy circles around the field in search of it, but to no avail.  As she watched, the Gryffindor Chasers attempted to score multiple times using numerous different formations, but all were foiled by Ravenclaw.  She turned away from the game to once again scan the field for the snitch, and gasped as she saw a bludger headed directly towards her.  She ducked it, and saw Justin swoop up and bat it in the direction of the Ravenclaw Chasers, who currently had possession of the quaffle.  Justin turned around, and reached suddenly to scratch his back.  Then he flew over to Alice. 

            "What is it?" Alice asked.  Then she noticed his one hand was closed around something.  Slowly he opened is fist, and Alice saw a glimmer of gold—a flutter of wings—

            "The snitch!" she exclaimed, half amazed, half confounded.  "But it's a foul if anyone other than the Seeker touches it!  Let it go!"

            "Let it go?" Justin said incredulously.  "Don't you get it? If you take this from me, we win the game and both Cups!"

            "But that's cheating!" Alice protested. 

            "No one would know except you and me.  I won't tell."

            "Well…" Alice said, hesitating.  This went against everything she had been taught. But to be the seeker to win both cups for Gryffindor…

            "I'll do it," she said.

            "Good.  I thought you'd understand," said Justin, and he handed over the snitch.  Immediately he veered away to chase down another bludger.

            With the snitch concealed within her hand, Alice feigned a look of intense concentration and transitioned smoothly into a steep dive.  The wind rushed in her face as she sped downward and downward, faster and faster, until she was but a foot from the ground.  Then, with the hand that held the snitch, she made a fake snatch, and pulled out of the dive barely in time to avoid collision with the ground.  She pulled back up, raised her hand up into the air cautiously, and cried out, "I've got the snitch!"

            At once, the Gryffindor team surrounded her.  They descended as a screaming, hugging mass, with Alice at the center. 

The Headmaster came down onto the field to award the Quidditch Cup to Gryffindor.  The gleaming golden trophy was handed to Scott, as team Captain, and he in turn passed it on to Alice, saying, "You've earned it!" enthusiastically.  However, as Alice caught a look back at Professor Potter, she wasn't so sure. 


	2. Part 2: A Guilty Conscience

_Part 2: A Guilty Conscience_

            Later, Alice snuck out of the common room.  She needed some time to walk and think, away from the raucous party being held for the Quidditch team. 

            She heard a noise behind her and turned around to see what could have made it.  As she turned back around, she came face-to-face with the Headmaster.

            "Professor Potter!" Alice exclaimed.  "I'm so sorry."

            "I wonder, Miss Elliot, what you would be doing out and about when there is undoubtedly a party in the Gryffindor common room—one in your honor."

            "Well," said Alice, picking her words carefully, "I needed some time to think."

            "About anything in particular?" queried the Headmaster.  "Is there anything you would like to talk about, Alice?"

            Alice, whose head had been down slightly, looked up, and straight into his eyes, which were of the brightest bottle green.  At that moment, she knew she could not lie to him.  His gaze made her feel like he knew everything.

            "Yes," she answered unsteadily.  "There are some things I'd like to talk to you about."

            "What sort of things?"

            "Well, it has to do with Quidditch."  Alice looked at Professor Potter, and he nodded at her to continue. 

            "I was wondering, what do you know about what happens if a player other than the Seeker catches the snitch?"

            Harry seemed to be in deep thought for a moment.  "If you don't know anything about it, that's okay," said Alice hurriedly. 

            "Oh, I know.  I did learn a bit about Quidditch during the seven years I played Seeker here and the years afterwards that I spent on the National Team," he replied. 

            Alice blushed noticeably, and the Headmaster continued.  "The term for this particular foul is snitchip.  It is, by definition, when any player other than the Seeker touches the snitch.  If the person touching to snitch does not aid their Seeker in catching the snitch, they simply must release the snitch, and the other team receives a penalty shot."

            "But…if the person committing the foul does help the Seeker on their team catch the snitch?" asked Alice in a tremulous voice.

            "Then the team who committed the foul must forfeit the game," said Harry with a somber look on his face.  "Is that all?"

            Alice's head was spinning.  She was not sure if she would be able to speak with a steady voice, but managed to say, "Yes, thank you," in what she thought was a calm enough tone.

            "Then I will be seeing you later," the Headmaster said.  He departed, leaving Alice alone in the corridor once again with her turmoil of thoughts.  She was, for perhaps one of the first times, completely unsure of what to do next.  She had always been the one to follow rules to the letter.  _What got into me?_ she though desperately.  She stood in silence for a while longer before disappearing down the hallway back to the common room.

            Alice's conscience was acting up so badly that, though she did not manage to escape the celebrations in the common room until well after midnight, she lay awake in her four-poster bed for what seemed like hours.  Sleep, the one thing that she thought might soothe her agitated soul, continued to elude her.  She stared at the red velvet hangings of the bed, their edges trimmed in gold, and for some reason was reminded of her own Sorting, less than three years before.

            She had been nervous, as had most of the first years.  Coming from a muggle family, she had not had any idea what to expect, and this only increased the tension.  It was the waiting beforehand that had been the worst, she remembered: hearing scraps of conversation in which odd names where mentioned, houses were praised or condemned, all intermingled with the nervous questioning of those like herself who knew nothing about what was going on.

            She remembered being ushered at last into the Great Hall, which was so full of students that there seemed to be a sea of black.  Alice had been so overwhelmed that, by the time the Sorting Hat began its song, nothing could have shocked her at all.  She had listened vaguely as the Hat had talked of the different houses, emphasizing that the houses were merely designed to group students with similar strengths and aptitudes, and that there was no reason for people from different houses to not be friends.

            She had watched as, one by one, her fellow first years tried on the Hat, were sorted, and took their seat at one of the house tables.  And then, far too soon, in Alice's opinion, it had been her turn.  Her name called, Alice had walked up to sit on the three-legged stool and the professor had placed the Hat on her head, as she had for the others before.  The Hat had been too big for Alice, and it had covered her face down to her nose.

            Before she could think any more about it, the Hat had spoken.  _Ah, what do we have here?_

            Alice smiled, remembering how she had almost fallen off of the stool at the realization that the Hat was communicating through thought.  It had apparently not noticed her scare, and had continued.  _My, my, you're a difficult one,_ it had said, in a tone that was almost chastising.  _Well, never you mind.  Let's see…smart, yes, but not overly so.  Not quite a Ravenclaw, and not as resourceful as a Slytherin.  As for Hufflepuff…well, you've certainly been a loyal friend, and trustworthy.  But what's this?_  The Hat had paused for a moment in its mental monologue before saying, _You've got quite a lot of chivalry.  Like a Gryffindor—you play by the old code, face what you must for justice to be done.  Not overly brave, but brave enough,_ the Hat had concluded, before shouting for the whole Hall to hear, "Gryffindor!  Alice had walked towards the table with the red banner emblazoned with a gold lion.

            Now, lying awake and looking up at the scarlet expanse above her, Alice felt ashamed of herself.  She was in Gryffindor because she was brave.  What was it the Sorting Hat had said?  _You play by the old code…_

            _The last time I checked, the old code doesn't include cheating,_ Alice thought, brushing a lone tear forcefully from her face.  Once again, the phrase _What__ have I done?_ floated through her consciousness.  However, this time it was accompanied by the thought, _What__ can I do to fix it?_ 

            There was only one answer that Alice could find to that question, no matter how hard she searched.  She only had one option, and it was by no means easy.  But it was the Gryffindor thing to do.

            With this uneasy decision weighing on her heart, she fell into a fitful sleep.

A/N:  Like it? Hate it?  Please, review and tell me!  I'll have the final bit up sometime later this weekend.


	3. Part 3: Honesty

A/N:  Here's the last part; this is now a complete story!  Please review when you're done reading this; I welcome all feedback!

_Part 3: Honesty_

            The next day was a Sunday, so there were no classes.  Alice woke up at around nine, got dressed, and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast.  She didn't want to spend much time there, since it was difficult to bear the complements that Gryffindors continued to bestow upon her, but she did not want any more to do what she needed to do next. 

            After a while, she got up from her seat to moans of her fellow Gryffindors, protesting that she needed to study for the upcoming exams.  In reality, she had to do something that she was dreading even more than studying.

            On the second floor landing, she came across just the person—well, spirit, technically—that she had been looking for.  "Hey, Nick," she said to the pearly, semi-transparent figure before her.  "Do you have a minute?"

            "Of course," he said in his usual sorrowful tone.  "How may I be of assistance?"

            Alice took a deep breath, looked around to make sure no one else was near, and asked, "Do you know how I can get to the Headmaster's office?"  Nick looked like he was going to ask for her reason, so Alice said, "I need to talk to him."

            Apparently satisfied, Nick replied, "Yes, I've been there before.  I'll show you the way, if you'd like."

            "That would be wonderful," Alice said, though her stomach wasn't so sure about this sentiment.

            She followed the ghost through the castle, up flights of stairs and through the occasional secret passage.  Once, Nick floated right through a wall, and Alice had to wait a minute for him to return when he remembered that she couldn't follow him.  At long last, he stopped in front of a particularly large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle.

            "His office is through here," Nick explained.  "I don't know the password; I'll go and tell him you're down here, and then be off."  Then he disappeared through the gargoyle and Alice was left to wait.

            It felt like the longest wait she had ever endured, including the time when she had been waiting to find out if she had made seeker for the Quidditch team.  Though she stood by the gargoyle for barely a minute, each second felt like another hour.  Part of her brain was screaming at her to run, but she held her ground.  She was a Gryffindor.  She could do this.

            An age later, Nick floated back through the gargoyle seconds before it came alive and leapt to one side as the wall parted.  Alice was faced with a long spiral staircase.  Taking a deep breath, she started up.  At the top was a wooden door with a brass knocker, shaped like a griffin.  Alice took a deep breath and entered.

            Had she been in her usual frame of mind, the contents of Dumbledore's office would have astounded her.  As it was, she barely noticed the intricate silver and gold instruments, elaborate portraits of previous Headmasters, or the numerous books that filled the office.  The only thing that she was able to take in was the Headmaster, sitting behind his desk, and managing to look older than his years.  Unable to speak, she just stared.

            "Ah, Miss Elliot," the Headmaster said.  "Nick said you wanted to talk.  Please, have a seat."  He motioned to a chair on the other side of his desk, and Alice reluctantly sat.  "What did you need to discuss with me?"

            Alice did not know where to start.  "Do you remember what I was asking you about yesterday?" she said finally.

            "Yes; you were curious about snitchip, if I recall correctly," he said. 

            Alice nodded, not really wanting to speak, but knowing that she had to or she would never be able to live with herself.  "Professor…" she began, and paused, looking at him across the desk.  His green eyes now looked slightly sad, and Alice wondered if it was an illusion or if he had suspected what she was going to tell him.  She lowered her eyes, and spoke to her lap.  "Justin committed snitchip, at yesterday's match."  There, she'd said it.  But the hardest part was yet to come.  In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "And he helped me to catch the snitch."

            She had been expecting him to be angry with her.  She knew that if she was him, she would be.  But instead, she merely heard him say, in an oddly curt tone, "I would have expected a higher level of play from you, Miss Elliot."  The disappointment in his voice hit harder than any anger would have, and Alice had to fight back her tears.  The Headmaster did not seem to notice, and continued.  "Very well.  You know the consequences; they will be implemented immediately.  You may go now."  And he went back to the paperwork that was strewn across his desk.  Shaking, Alice stood up and walked back down the spiraling stairs.  The wall shut behind her.

            The days until Alice left Hogwarts were some of the longest she had lived.  All the school had seen the points lost, and somehow knew that she had had something to do with it.  She suspected that Justin had dropped a few remarks here and there in his fury of knowing Alice had fessed up.  She had thought that at least the team would find it in their hearts to forgive her, but she had been wrong.  Even Ann wouldn't talk to her.  So when it came time for the End-of-Year feast, Alice had never been happier.

            She came own early and sat in solitude at the Gryffindor table, pondering her thoughts. She had sat for only a few minutes when she heard footsteps in the Great Hall, and soon after a shadow fell across her.  Then it was gone as the person sat down next to her.  She turned to see Ann sitting there.  Behind her was the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team.

            "We've come to say we're sorry," said Ann.  Alice looked into her eyes and knew that she meant it.

            "Why?" asked Alice.

            "We heard Justin hinting at his part in the match," said Scott, sitting down on her other side.  "We were able to…coax…the truth out of him.  Needless to say, he won't be showing his face around Gryffindor for a bit.  We're sorry we didn't talk to you and hear your side of the story."

            "Thanks," was all that Alice could manage, but the wide grin on her face spoke louder than words.

            The rest of the team sat down at the table, and they made small talk as all around them, students filed into the hall.  When everyone was present, the Headmaster stood up. 

            "Before we eat this delicious feast," he said, "the house cup needs awarding.  Ravenclaw is currently in the lead with four hundred ninety-six points, followed by Slytherin with four hundred thirty-two, Gryffindor with three hundred ninety-seven, and Hufflepuff with three hundred fifty four.

            "However, there are some things that must be taken into account.  I am sure all of you are aware that the Quidditch Cup had been awarded to Ravenclaw.  However, only eight of you know why.

            "Gryffindor has been awarded the Quidditch Cup because a member of the Gryffindor team, who is to remain unnamed, helped the Seeker catch the snitch."

            A hush ran through the Great Hall.  All eyes were on the Gryffindor team. 

            "However," continued Harry, "I would not have known this unless one of the members of the Quidditch team had confessed it to me."

            If Alice had thought the Great Hall silent before, that was nothing to how it was now.

            "She did not have to.  The referee of the match did not notice, nor did I.  The only people aware of this transgression were her and the player that aided her.  For her outstanding courage and honesty even when she knew the great amount that was at stake, I award Alice Elliot of Gryffindor fifty points."

            The stunned silence was broken by the cheering of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.  The whole house was soon applauding Alice, and the other tables soon joined in.

            Alice sat at the middle of it all, stunned.  She might not have won the Quidditch Cup or the House Cup for Gryffindor, but the story of her chivalry would be passed along at Hogwarts for years to come. 

            "You were awesome!" Ann said beside her before giving her a hug.  Over Ann's shoulder, Alice looked up at Harry Potter.  She could have sworn she saw him wink.


End file.
